How to say it
LEN · non
/ˈlɛn.ən/
Unisex
Lennon
Cloak, or 'lover'
What it means
Anglicized Irish surname Ó Leannáin, 'descendant of Leannán' (a personal name from leann 'cloak' or 'sweetheart'). John Lennon of the Beatles is the inescapable English-language anchor.
Lennon is the anglicization of the Irish Ó Leannáin, 'descendant of Leannán.' The personal name Leannán came from leann, which carries two meanings: 'cloak' (an article of clothing) and 'sweetheart, lover.' John Lennon (1940-1980), founding Beatle and writer of Imagine, Strawberry Fields Forever, and Give Peace a Chance, is the inescapable English-language cultural anchor; his murder in December 1980 froze the surname in a particular kind of cultural memory. As a first name Lennon is recent and post-Lennon: rare before 2010, then climbing fast. It entered the US top 500 in 2017, mostly used unisex but leaning feminine in current US records. Single short forms aren't common.
Popularity over time
Feminine: peaked at #214 in 2025, currently #214 in 2025.
Masculine: peaked at #596 in 2016, currently #808 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–present. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Pop culture
John Lennon (the Beatles, Imagine, his murder in 1980) is the inescapable English-language anchor; some families lean into the Beatles coding intentionally.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- John Lennon Beatles founder and songwriter (Lennon as surname), 1940-1980
Spelling variants
- Lenon
Names with the same feeling
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